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About ODL
Curiosity needs
somewhere to go.
Oregon Design Library brings engineering, technology, design, skilled work, media, and community learning together.
Why we exist
Education
should lead
somewhere.
People learn when they can ask a question, work with a tool, test an idea, and explain a result.
ODL builds capability and confidence through useful projects. A watershed model, a repaired system, a prototype, or a clear learning resource can connect a learner’s interests with future opportunity.
Schools, Tribal education programs, libraries, employers, and community organizations bring local knowledge. ODL contributes design, instruction, practical tools, and coordination.
The experience behind ODL
Years of practice.
A shared
direction.
Director Marc William Schaffer combines engineering training with more than 25 years across education, digital learning, creative media, and organizational change.
His work spans community education, enterprise technology, public agencies, healthcare, and higher education. Pangaea Multimedia leadership began in 1996 with the City of Portland Parks and Recreation and Intel support.
That history informs ODL’s approach: listen to local priorities, define a useful project, support the people doing the work, and document what they learn.
Explore the Director’s experienceHow we work
Listen. Design.
Build. Improve.
Listen first
Understand the community, what already works, and the learners’ goals.
Agree the project
Define outcomes, roles, supervision, access, resources, and a manageable scope.
Make + test
Use tools responsibly, record what happens, and improve the result.
Share + decide
Return useful work to the community and use feedback to choose the next step.
Let’s make something useful